Publications
by EDUCO
Read about our impact, recent successes, and how we are making a difference with and in the lives of returning citizens, as well as healing neighborhoods throughout the country.
Press Releases
URBAN ALCHEMY ANNOUNCES NEW STUDY ON SAFER NEIGHBORHOODS IN EAST AUSTIN
Urban Alchemy, a San-Francisco based nonprofit that employs citizens returning from incarceration to help heal cities and neighborhoods, is undertaking a landmark study to reduce nonviolent crime in Central East Austin.
Residents at Arch and 8th Street Homeless Shelters to Receive Job Training Through Austin Community College
Unhoused guests staying at the ARCH and 8th Street homeless shelters will soon be able to take a training program in heating and air conditioning maintenance through Austin Community College.
The City of Birmingham Taps Urban Alchemy to Manage a Community-Based Public Safety Program
The City of Birmingham has selected California-based organization Urban Alchemy to lead a new program focused on serving unhoused residents in crisis.
Urban Alchemy Welcomes New CFO: Melek Totah
Urban Alchemy has hired Melek Totah as its new chief financial officer. She brings more than 20 years of experience working with nonprofits and publicly traded companies to manage and improve their financial controls and processes.
Urban Alchemy Hires Dr. Lisa De La Rue as Director of Training
Urban Alchemy is announcing that it has hired Dr. Lisa De La Rue to serve as Director of Training. Dr. De La Rue, who holds a PhD in counseling psychology, will be the first person to fulfill this important role.
Mayor London Breed, Stanford Researchers, and Urban Alchemy Announce 52% Decrease in Crime Rates in Ambassador-served Areas
Mayor London Breed, Urban Alchemy, Stanford researchers and community members celebrated the drop in crime in the Urban-Alchemy-served neighborhoods of San Francisco, which was showcased in the results of a new Stanford University study.
In the News
Formerly incarcerated man now helping homeless people in Portland find permanent housing
Danny Contreras Martinez has a mission to give back to those who need a little guidance — as he once too needed some help…
Portland adds 132 sleeping pods to expand capacity at city shelter sites
Portland has added 132 sleeping pods at two of its shelter sites, officials announced Friday. The Multnomah site in Southwest Portland now has 100 shelter units and Reedway in the Lents neighborhood of Southeast Portland now has 120 units…
‘Reimagining justice’: New community safety model to be tested in east Austin
Millions of dollars are now being put toward testing what’s being called a new model of community safety in east Austin…
Nonprofit brings shower trailer downtown to aid homeless community
After a group of showers closed in downtown Austin, a nonprofit helping those experiencing homelessness brought in a shower trailer from California to help fill the gap…
Former federal felon now helps those in need in San Francisco
Last week, a woman experiencing homelessness went into Urban Alchemy, a rehabilitation program for formerly incarcerated individuals, in hopes of finding some help…
California program helps the formerly incarcerated
Growing up in a community littered with crime, drugs, violence, and trauma is going to shape you directly and indirectly, for better or worse…
Portlanders talk navigating city homeless, housing services
While Portland city officials say demand for shelter and affordable housing far outweigh the supply, they also stress that each person given a second chance after living outside in the Rose City is something worth celebrating…
Birmingham signs $1.7-million deal with San Francisco nonprofit to help homeless people
Birmingham has signed a new $1.7-million agreement with a San Francisco nonprofit that hires people who were formerly incarcerated to operate a call center and work to help homeless people find housing…
‘Never give up’ | Unhoused residents look forward to new job training program
The partnership with Urban Alchemy and Austin Community College will allow 25 people at ARCH and 8th Street shelters to participate in a training program at no cost…
The CIRCLE Program: A 24/7 unarmed service for homeless people in L.A.
Unarmed, with an open heart and equipped with water and snacks, as well as with a full list of social and mental health services, David Luna and Chuck Colton spend their week driving to places across Los Angeles to assist and support unhoused individuals experiencing crises…
Urban Alchemy helps SF clean up the streets, puts formerly incarcerated on path to careers
Urban Alchemy, founded in 2018, prioritizes hiring former long-term offenders (LTOs) — people with life sentences who spent decades in prison — as practitioners and ambassadors to help keep streets clean and safe in areas struggling with extreme poverty, addiction, mental illness and hopelessness.
Mayor Kirk Watson talks efforts to shelter homeless amid dangerous summer heat
The city also recently announced that in partnership with nonprofit Urban Alchemy a parking lot in downtown Austin has been turned into a place where people experiencing homelessness can get reprieve and be connected to resources. You can read more about that here.